HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - As Jason Smith of Harvest pulled the family car into the parking lot Saturday at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, his son Douglas said: "This is where I'm going to college."

Douglas, an 11-year-old Harvest Elementary School student, was fascinated by the array of trucks, radar equipment and satellite dishes parked in the lot for the 2012 Rocket City Weather Fest hosted by UAH's student chapter of the American Meteorological Society.

Douglas' interest in weather began after his home on Smith-Vassar Road was damaged on March 2 by an EF3 twister that closely followed the same path as the devastating EF5 that killed nine people in Madison County and four in Limestone County on April 27, 2011. The home where Douglas lives with his parents, Kim and Jason Smith, received a glancing blow on April 27 and then had minor roof damage on March 2, Jason said. At the adjacent home of Doug's grandparents, B.C. and Nancy Smith, a car and camper were destroyed and the house had minor damage on March 2. The March 2 twister damaged or destroyed about 250 homes on its path from Athens to Harvest.

"He's already wanting to go to meteorology school," Jason said. "I told him there's one right here at UAH so we came out to the festival."

The event, which continues until 3 p.m. today, includes demonstrations, tours of weather trucks and equipment, hands-on activities and educational films. Capt. Christopher Dyke, a hurricane hunter from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, gave the keynote address.

Attendees also could join at a SKYWARN storm spotter training course given by the National Weather Service and other seminars.

In addition, a weather balloon was to be launched at 1 p.m. in front of the Shelby Center and a radar display helped give insight into the phenomenon of the April 27 tornado outbreak. Attendees could also buy weather radios and learn how to create a safety plan at home.

Members of the Smith family of Harvest, who had two homes struck by the April 27, 2011, and March 2 tornadoes, listen as Tony Lyza explains the Mobile Integrated Profiling System which travels to storms to monitor conditions. Lyza, Todd Murphy and Adam Sherrer, graduate students in UAHâs atmospheric science program, operate MIPS and gave tours to attendees of Saturdayâs Rocket City Weather Fest. Members of the Smith family are, from left, Nancy, Greg, B.C., Douglas and Jason. (Kelly Kazek/The Huntsville Times)

Tony Lyza, a graduate student in the UAH Atmospheric Sciences Department, explained how the Mobile Integrated Profiling System vehicle operated, telling Douglas researchers head to an area where severe weather is expected and park. "Storm chasing is really a lot of sitting around and waiting," he said.

Lyza also explained to the Smith family that the science of meteorology is always expanding and technology has changed drastically over the past few decades, increasing knowledge of tornadoes and other weather phenomena.

In north Alabama, that knowledge is crucial to safety. Two twisters ranked EF5, the deadliest, that struck on April 27 gave Alabama the dubious ranking of having the most F5s and EF5s of any state in the nation, despite the fact that Alabama is not listed in what is traditionally known as "Tornado Alley." Alabama has experienced seven EF5s, followed by Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, which are tied with six, according to Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

Brian Carcione, left, the Science and Weather Operations officer with the National Weather Service in Huntsville, talks with attendees of the 2012 Rocket City Weather Fest Saturday at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The festival, hosted by the student chapter of the American Meteorological Society, includes demonstrations, tours of weather trucks and equipment, hands-on activities and educational films. It continues until 3 p.m. at the Shelby Center at UAH. (Kelly Kazek/The Huntsville Times)

The two that struck on April 27 were:

• The Hackleburg-Tanner-East Limestone-Harvest twister that began near Hamilton and stayed on the ground for 132 miles. Seventy-eight people were killed by this single tornado.

• The Rainsville tornado which killed 26 people in DeKalb County along its 33.8-mile path.

Like several counties, DeKalb was struck multiple times that day, with a total death toll of 33.

Although 62 twisters struck Alabama on April 27 killing 247 people, it was not the state's deadliest outbreak. On March 21, 1932, about 351 Alabamians were killed in what was known as the Deep South Outbreak.

The storms of April 3, 1974, were the most widespread in damage, with 148 twisters that killed 315 people in 13 states, including eight storms in Alabama that killed 86 people.